Only two days after announcing it has become the first North American sports league to sell title sponsorship to its All-Star Game, the NHL today has made Discover Financial Services title sponsor to its annual Thanksgiving day game. As part of the new deal, Discover Financial Services will renew a multi-year sponsorship agreement that makes Discover the Official Partner of the NHL in the U.S.

Discover will become title sponsor of the inaugural NHL on NBC broadcast on Thanksgiving Friday, now titled the 2011 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown. In promotion for this game, Discover and the NHL also will introduce a co-branded float titled "Frozen Fall Fun," which will make its first-ever appearance in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The float, featuring a live performance of Grammy-Award winning artist Cee-Lo Green, is 36-feet long by 20-feet wide and is designed to reflect a fall hockey theme. Also created to showcase the Discover and NHL partnership, the float will feature NHL stars from the past, a synthetic ice rink, a 12-foot tall turkey that serves as a hockey goal, plus an assortment of colorful fall decor.

"Having a new ownership platform on a day that is synonymous with shopping was a natural fit to renew our partnership with Discover, but we wanted to make it even bigger," said David Lehanski, group vice president of integrated sales. The idea of incorporating a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade gives us a unique way to not only promote this partnership, but also the 2011 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown in front of an audience that traditionally reaches nearly 50 million viewers."

The commitment to the NHL will deepen Discover's investment in hockey, giving the company increased opportunities to engage with U.S. hockey fans nationwide and develop exclusive hockey-themed rewards and experiences across various NHL special events.

"We're proud to work with our partners at the NHL to participate in some of America's favorite holiday traditions, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and watching a great hockey match-up on NBC," said Jennifer Murillo, vice president of brand communications for Discover.
Throughout the NHL season, Discover will offer opportunities for cardmembers to redeem their Cashback Bonus rewards for tickets to the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia. Discover cardmembers also receive discounts to Shop.NHL.com and the NHL Powered by Reebok store in New York City, NHL GameCenter Live subscriptions, and more.

As a result of the renewal, Discover will remain the Official Card of the NHL, NHL All-Star Weekend, NHL Winter Classic, NHL Awards and the NHL Draft.